---
title: A friend forwards you a private message another girl sent to her. Wh… — Rumours and gossip · tree and pragmatics
description: A friend forwards you a private message another girl sent to her. What is the problem with passing it on? Test 8 · ★ of lesson 202 «Rumours and gossip» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was wrong
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/202-rumours-and-gossip/t8/)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [questions](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/) / [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/) / [Rumours and gossip](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/202-rumours-and-gossip/) / t8

# Test 8 · ★ · Rumours and gossip

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
A friend forwards you a private message another girl sent to her. What is the problem with passing it on?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 4 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** friend, girl, problem · **What happens:** forward, send, be, pass on · **To what, where:** private message, you, friend, problem

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 · ★ of lesson 202 «Rumours and gossip» of the everyday course of Mova's primary school. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/everyday/202-rumours-and-gossip/#t8).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* A friend forwards you a private message another girl sent to her.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:202-rumours-and-gossip:t8:1
# text = A friend forwards you a private message another girl sent to her.
1	A	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	friend	friend	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	forwards	forward	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	you	you	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs	3	obj	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	private	private	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	message	message	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
8	another	another	DET	DT	PronType=Ind	9	det	_	_
9	girl	girl	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
10	sent	send	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	7	acl:relcl	_	_
11	to	to	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
12	her	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **forward** | present | a friend | a private message | you |  |  |  | vn send-11.1-1 «NP V NP-Dative NP»: agent=Agent you=Destination message=Theme |
| 2 | **send** | past | another girl | a private message *not said here* | friend |  |  |  | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP PP.destination»: agent=Agent message=Theme to she=Destination |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* What is the problem with passing it on?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:202-rumours-and-gossip:t8:2
# text = What is the problem with passing it on?
1	What	what	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	0	root	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	1	cop	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	4	det	_	_
4	problem	problem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	nsubj	_	_
5	with	with	SCONJ	IN	_	6	mark	_	_
6	passing	pass	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	4	acl	_	_
7	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	6	obj	_	_
8	on	on	ADP	RP	_	6	compound:prt	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | the problem |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **pass on** | gerund | the problem *not said here* | problem |  |  |  |  | vn send-11.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is only a problem if the message is rude

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:202-rumours-and-gossip:t8:o1:1
# text = It is only a problem if the message is rude
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
4	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
5	problem	problem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
6	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
7	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	8	det	_	_
8	message	message	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
10	rude	rude	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | It | a problem |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **is** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | the message |  |  |  |  | rude *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
There is no problem if it is only a screenshot and not the real message

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:202-rumours-and-gossip:t8:o2:1
# text = There is no problem if it is only a screenshot and not the real message
1	There	there	PRON	EX	PronType=Dem	2	expl	_	_
2	is	be	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	4	det	_	_
4	problem	problem	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
5	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
8	only	only	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	10	det	_	_
10	screenshot	screenshot	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
11	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
12	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	15	advmod	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	15	det	_	_
14	real	real	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	15	amod	_	_
15	message	message	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **be** | present | no problem |  |  | there |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is a** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | problem | a screenshot and the real message |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It was meant for one person, so spreading it betrays trust

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:202-rumours-and-gossip:t8:o3:1
# text = It was meant for one person, so spreading it betrays trust
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	meant	mean	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	for	for	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	6	nummod	_	_
6	person	person	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	so	so	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
9	spreading	spread	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	11	csubj	_	_
10	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	obj	_	_
11	betrays	betray	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
12	trust	trust	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | past · passive |  | It |  |  |  | for one person | vn representation-110.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: subject=Theme for person=Attribute |
| 2 | **spread** | gerund |  | person |  |  |  |  | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location it=Theme |
| 3 | **betray** | present | spreading | trust |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

### Option 4 · ← Mova's choice {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Private messages are too long to read

```conllu
# sent_id = question:everyday:202-rumours-and-gossip:t8:o4:1
# text = Private messages are too long to read
1	Private	private	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	amod	_	_
2	messages	message	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
3	are	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
4	too	too	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	_
5	long	long	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
6	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
7	read	read	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	5	advcl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | Private messages |  |  |  |  | long *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **read** | to-infinitive | Private messages *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [Rumours and gossip, test 7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/202-rumours-and-gossip/t7/)
- next →: [Rumours and gossip, test 9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/202-rumours-and-gossip/t9/)
- ↑ back to [Rumours and gossip](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/everyday/202-rumours-and-gossip/)